Case study testimonials
Parents of 10 year old, Auckland
Our 10-year-old daughter had been struggling with increasingly more frequent and intense emotions for some time. We sought child Psychology to help her understand and ease the intensity of her feelings and parent coaching for us to find more effective ways to support her as a family.
“We weren’t quite sure what to expect from Psychology at the beginning, we knew the outcome we hoped for, but not what the process would look like.” From the initial parent only consultation, Jade took time to understand our family’s goals, explained her approach clearly, and helped us feel comfortable by taking things one step at a time.
Our daughter was hesitant and anxious initially about opening up to someone new. Jade made building trust her first priority, through play and weaving in our daughter’s interests, so that she felt safe, understood, and engaged. The approach was gentle, child-led rather than directed, and it suited our daughter’s personality well. “We often heard laughter from the room,” indicating how comfortable our daughter had become.
As parents we were an integral part of the journey as well. Alongside the child sessions, Jade held dedicated parent sessions that became just as valuable. She shared what she was noticing, helped us understand our daughter’s emotional world more deeply, and offered practical, everyday strategies, always with empathy and without judgement.
One of the most significant shifts was a change in perspective, moving away from trying to “fix” the meltdowns, to a focus on strengthening connection, and understanding what was driving our daughter’s responses. This shift made a real difference for us and our daughter, easing her frustration and softening the intensity of her reactions.
Over a course of 11 sessions, we saw a significant improvement in our daughter’s emotional regulation, and a noticeable reduction in how often and how intensely the meltdowns occurred. A particularly meaningful milestone was watching her begin to recognise and express sadness, an emotion Jade supported her to understand and express.
Our advice to other parents who are unsure about Psychology support is that support can be incredibly valuable. Change doesn’t happen right away, but with consistency over time the progress can be very positive. The support with Jade has helped us move from focusing on behaviour to truly understanding and supporting our daughter’s emotional needs. “It was a genuine game changer for our family.”
(support was provided at Cubbiehouse Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics)
Parents of 9 year old, Auckland
We have found Jade to be an excellent support for our family as we navigate life’s changes and challenges with a neurodivergent, anxious child.
Jade’s empathetic, calm and curious manner along with her play-based toolkit set our child at ease. This laid the foundations for a meaningful therapeutic relationship that encouraged our child to experience and process their emotions more freely, without them feeling pressured to do so.
Our child especially enjoyed the chance to engage in creative, sensory and tactile activities, including lots of pastel mark-making, using essential oils, tibetan singing bowls and tearing up paper to make ‘emotion soup’!
Jade helped us as parents to understand the causes underpinning our child’s behaviour at home and school, and encouraged us to try new techniques to build connection and find joy, even when (especially when) we were all having a hard time. Jade’s guidance was instrumental to getting us through these times.